1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments relate to a rechargeable battery and a battery module.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery differs from a primary battery in that it can be repeatedly charged and discharged, while the latter makes only the irreversible conversion of chemical to electrical energy. The low-capacity rechargeable battery is used as the power supply for small electronic devices, such as cellular phones, notebook computers and camcorders, while the high-capacity rechargeable battery is used as the power supply for driving motors in hybrid vehicles and the like.
A high-power rechargeable battery using a non-aqueous electrolyte with a high energy density has been recently developed. For example, the high-power rechargeable battery is constructed with a high-capacity rechargeable battery having a plurality of rechargeable cells coupled to each other in series such that it can be used as the power supply for driving motors in electric vehicles requiring high power.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the related art and may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.